richards



- (No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

W. F. RICHARDS.

GAR GOUPLING.

vNo. 509,100. i n Patented Nov. 21, 1893.

Wfl-hessen A I ,By Morne/y.

WASHINGTON. a c.

` f` Niinn YATESNPATENT OFFICE.

WILLARD rjnioimnns, orB-UF'FA-Lo, AssIGNoR To THE couLDf ooUPLER COMPANY, oF NEW YORK, N. Y.

' Fig. 2.

cAR-couPtlNc.

SPECIFICATION fofmmg part or Lettersatent' Noi 509,100, dated November 21, 189s.

Application ined time 22, 139s.

To all whom t may concern,.- i V Be it known that I, WILLARD F. RICHARDS, a citizen of theV United States, residing at the city of BuEalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car- Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car couplings deisigned more particularly for use on locomotives.

My invention has for its object to improve the means whereby the car coupling is supported above the pilot of the locomotive,and at the same time to render the coupling capable of moving laterally, to allow it to accommodate itself to the position of the locomotive and permit coupling on curves.

In the accompanying drawings consisting of two sheetsz-Figure l is a sectional elevation of the front portion of a locomotive provided with my improvement, with a portion of the pilot broken away. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a front view of the pilot with the draw banin section. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal, section in line 4 4, Fig. 5 is a sectional front view of the yoke in which the draw bar is supported. Figs. 6 and 7 are cross sections of said yoke and the draw bar, showing modified constructions of the means for centering the draw bar.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the pilot of the locomotive, A the front end sill of the locomotive frame, and A2 the pilot beam to which the pilot is secured in the ordinary manner.

B is the car coupling, which is preferably of the automatic type, having a horizontally swinging jaw or knuckle and a lock'for holding the jaw in its closed position; Aand C is the shank or draw bar which carries the coupling. The inner end of the draw bar is pivoted by an upright pin or bolt d to a bracket E, secured to the front side ofthe pilot beam A2, said bracket-being provided with for` wardly-extending parallel lugs e forming a pocket in-which the inner end of the draw bar is arranged. The bracket E is formed with rearwardly extending'plates e,e2, which sain No. 478,437. (No model.)

terminatein lips or flanges ewhich overlap thev rear side of the end sill A. 'The lower plate is formed separate from the bracket and -is secured to the saine by longitudinal bolts e4,`passing through a vertical flange at the front end of said plate, and a depending lug yoke is of sufficient Width to permit the regyuisite lateral play of the draw bar and 1s supported uponthe pilot by a lug or shankf extending downward from its under side and G by transverse bolts g. These plates extend along the ridge of the pilot vand are secured at their upper ends toV opposite sides of the depending lug of the bracket E and at their lower ends to the pilot.

vclamped between two longitudinal plates G H I-I are.diagonal braces secured at their rear ends to the pilot vbeam Azand at their front-endsto'opposite sides of the yoke F,

Awhereby the latter is firmly held against lateral displacement.

I representsa centering spring whereby the draw bar is yieldingly held in its normal position. This spring is preferably iiat and secured with its lower end in an upright pocket or slot i, formed in the lower portion of the depending-lug of the yoke F Vwhile its upper free end passes throughfaslot or aperture formed in the under side yof the draw bar as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The lugfis formed within the ypocket t', on opposite sides of the centering spring,`with ribs t" against which the spring is strained when the draw bar 1s swung laterally in either direction. mit the necessary play of the spring, the upper portion ofV said lug is recessed or chambered, as shown. always tends to assume an upright position, it yieldinglyretains the drawl bar in its normal position under ordinary circumstances, but allows the same to swing laterally out of such position in rounding curves. As soon as a curve is passed the draw bar 'is again returned to its central position by the reaction of the strained spring.

To per- As the centering spring IOO In the modified construction of the centering device, as shown in Fig. 6, a vertically movable spring bolt J, having reverse inclines jj, is employed in place of the ilat upright spring. j is a spiral spring seated in the pocket of the lug fand bearing with its upper end against the lower end of the bolt J.

y The upper end of the latter is arrangedin an In the modication shown in Fig. 7, thel centering spring, which is spiral, is arranged transversely within the cavity ot' the hollow draw bar and bears with its ends against the headed inner ends of transverse pins 2c whichV slide in openings formed in the side walls of the hollow draw bar and bear With their outer ends against vthe adjacent walls of the yoke F. In this construction, when the draw bar is swung out of center, the pin on the side thereof-toward which itis swung, bears with its outer end against the wall of the yoke, and thus forms an abutment against which the spring is compressed by the head of the other pin, which latter is moved with the draw bar, away from the adjacent wall of the yoke. When the locomotive passes upon a straighttrack, the spring is relaxed, returning the deflected draw bar to its central position.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with the front frame of alocomotive, the pilot a-nd longitudinal plates extending along the ridge of the pilot, of a draw bar pivoted at its rear end to the locomotive frame, and a yoke supporting the front portion of the draw bar and having a downwardly extending shank secured between the longitudinal plates ot the pilot, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the front frame of a locomotive and the pilot, of a bracketsecuied to said frame and having a depending lug, longitudinal plates extending along the ridge of the pilot and secured at their front portions to the pilot and at their rear portions to the lug of said bracket, a draw bar pivoted at its rear end to said bracket, and a yoke Supporting the front portion of the draw bar and having a depending Shank secured to the longitudinal plates of the pilot, substantially as set forth. o

3. The combination with the front frame of `a locomotive, of a draw bar pivoted to said traine, a yoke for supporting the front portion of the draw bar, arranged in front of the draw bar pivot, and a centering spring carried by said yoke and operating against the draw bai', substantially asset forth..

4. The combination With the front frame'of a locomotive, and the pilot, of a draw bar pivoted at its rear end to said frame, a yoke supporting the front portion of the draw oar and. having a depending recessed shank secured to the pilot, and an upright centering spring arranged in the recess of said shank and having its upper free end engaged with the draw bar, substantially as set forth. y

Witness my hand this 19th day of June,

WILLARD F. RICHARDS. Witnesses: y

' CARL F. GEYER,

FRED. C. GEYER. 

